Found in Iraq and older than the Bible, the Koran, or the Torah, this stirring epic - the world's oldest written story - now becomes available t...
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May 05, 2011
Miriam
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The oldest written Sumerian story tells of the youth of Lugalbanda, father of the famous Gilgamesh. Lugalbanda was the youngest son of Enmerkar, who drained the marshes to build the city of Uruk (according to myth, at the direction of the goddess Inanna). Wanting to make Inanna's city the most beautiful, Enmerkar decides to conquer the beautiful neighboring city of Aratta and pillage all its lovely art. His sons all go with him, but during the difficult journey through the mountains, young Lugal
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(24 people liked it)
Oct 15, 2011
Abigail
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Incorporating two ancient Sumerian poems - written down on clay tablets approximately 5,000 years ago, and rediscovered in the nineteenth century, they were only recently (in the 1970s) translated - Kathy Henderson tells the tale of Lugalbanda, a prince of the Mesopotamian city of Uruk, and (eventually) the father of the epic hero Gilgamesh. The oldest written story on earth (as far as our scholarship extends thus far), it incorporates characters and creatures from Sumerian mythology, and concer
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(8 people liked it)
Mar 19, 2009
Donna
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My seven year old son loved this story about Lugalbanda and his mystical travels in the mountains. The prince, who accompanies his seven older brothers to war, becomes sick in the mountains. He is left to recover with enough provisions to supply his needs for several weeks and his brothers promise to return for him after the battle. Lugalbanda recovers some and after seeking the blessing of his gods and the powerful mystical bird of the moutains who blesses him with speed and strength, Lugalb
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Jun 06, 2011
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
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I loved the way Kathy Henderson retold this tale. I'm sure the original cuneiform text is incomplete, and she must have had to add in explanations for ideas and objects unfamiliar to today's readers. The text reads smoothly in prose, with portions of it written in its original poetic form. There are some loose ends in the story, but, as the author explains at in a note at the end, this is because portions of the story have been lost or are yet to be discovered. I especially liked Jane Ray's
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(1 person liked it)
Mar 25, 2010
An ancient Sumerian tale recorded in cuneiform over five thousand years ago. The tale describes a boy who comes of age during a war using his wits and courage and who eventually becomes king.
The fact that this tale is older than the Torah, Koran, and the Bible is especially intriguing. It was written in cuneiform on clay tablets some five thousand years ago. The fact that it also comes from Ancient Sumer, which we now call Iraq, makes it particularly relevant given the attention t More...
The fact that this tale is older than the Torah, Koran, and the Bible is especially intriguing. It was written in cuneiform on clay tablets some five thousand years ago. The fact that it also comes from Ancient Sumer, which we now call Iraq, makes it particularly relevant given the attention t More...
Apr 05, 2010
Aisha
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It was very good in the beginning. But at the end you always know that you want it to carry on the stories. I thought the baby bird was cute. And I thought the mother and father looked really scary even when he said what he did was very good, they still looked a bit like they didn't like it. And his brothers were very nice to him, so that's a good thing. I like the pictures and the way they spoke.
Nov 13, 2009
Lynne
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Beautiful pictures and an engaging story . . .very cool to be reading such an ancient story.
Aug 02, 2007
JustOneMoreBook.com
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This warmly worded and intricately illustrated epic enchants our daughters with its exotic beauty and its underlying themes of kindness and generosity, in spite of its war and gore and shark-toothed, eagle-taloned Anzu birds.
Listen to our chat about this book on our JustOneMoreBook.com Children's Book Podcast:
http://www.justonemorebook.com/2007/05/2...
Listen to our chat about this book on our JustOneMoreBook.com Children's Book Podcast:
http://www.justonemorebook.com/2007/05/2...
May 18, 2008
Renee
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This is based on a story recorded in clay tablets about 5,000 years ago. In Notes on the Story, the author gives further factual information of the story and admits that though she did stay true to the spirit of the story, she did make changes. Vibrant watercolor illustrations make this short oversized chapter book palatable for younger audiences.
Positively reviewed in Booklist and SLJ.
Positively reviewed in Booklist and SLJ.
Aug 07, 2009
Ellis
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This children’s book is based on a translation of an ancient Sumerian text, which makes it one of the oldest written stories known to man. In that regard, I found it disheartening that the genesis of this story should begin with a war. Having just returned from a war in that region, I guess somethings never change.
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